Traffic Weekend

When New England decides to give you summer weather before spring. And it's May, which means graduation season in our fair city. Which means traffic. Traffic everywhere.

Tai and I started our weekend by dropping off our Verizon router in Malden. And so we stopped by Honey Honey Dessert Cafe, but got too full to order dessert.

Curry fish balls - okay

 Popcorn chicken - also okay

Dumplings - we threw this on the order for a third dish, but it ended up being my favorite

Cute little soy sauce bottle that looks like a skinny teapot










I'm starting to think my life revolves around brunch. Funny, but also frightening. Today's episode takes place at Coppersmith (which was super busy for some reason) with Jessica and Stan. Their menu has changed since the last time I came, and I think I prefer the previous options more.

Tater tots - they ran out of the current offering of toppings, but Jessica was happy to have them plain

Wings - I liked them, but Tai prefers the dry rub

Brisket hash - so much meat

Chicken and waffle - more chicken than waffle, but it looked good

French toast - eh, I find that maybe I am just not into deep fried French toast. It was crispy, oily bread with syrup, and not eggy or anything you'd expect from French toast.








Dinner today was at Royal Hot Pot, which I find a great option for all you can eat hot pot. It is not far, has a solid selection and good quality foods. And a parking lot. Great overall for family dinners. :)

Revisiting Foundry

So, once upon a time, Tai and I had dinner at Foundry on Elm in Davis Square. And it was everything we wanted it to be. Slightly varied takes on staples, great cocktails and beers, casual but hip atmosphere.

We would go back occasionally, but somewhere along the way, it stopped appealing to us so much. Then last year, after my department's outing, I went with coworkers and started to fall in love all over again.

Finally, I took Tai back today, aaaaand I'm once again unconvinced. Whyyy are you so inconsistent, Foundry!?

Drinks are still fantastic though.

Free mini desserts before my food arrives, does this place know me or what? I would not pay for this though - it was okay. Kind of like a big truffle in a cup.

Moules frites with chorizo - so few fries. And soggy fries at that. Flavor was decent.

Kale Caesar salad - this was quite good. I was afraid it'd be overdressed, but it wasn't.

Dry rub chicken wings - oh so disappointing. No flavor, no crispiness, nothing special. Just a chicken wing.

Pork belly pizzetta - I was so hesitant about this one. Hoisin sauce and sriracha aioli on pizza? But it worked. It was our favorite dish of the night.








I want to love you again, Foundry. But the chicken just made me so sad. Oh so sad.

Vy Keeps Eating

More days, more work, more food. It's mid-May, and I keep waiting for warm enough weather to wear dresses.

But instead, we're eating hot pot at Shabu in Quincy:

Yay food

Clams in Sukiyaki sauce - need to remember not to get this again. It's not bad, just never what I expect.









Family dinner with Tai's family at Ming's in Malden:

Crab rangoons

Crab meat and fish maw soup

Pea pod stems

Clams with vermicelli

Beef chow foon

Fried flounder

Salt and pepper pork chop and calamari

Crispy duck with taro











When Tai gets to order, you end up with all fried foods.

I found this really great little bbq place in Providence called Durk's:

Sides: mac and cheese, Brussels sprouts, potato salad, corn bread

Dirty Durk's - sausage and pulled pork sandwich. So good.










Definitely a great spot.

Also tried an Italian place called Massimo:

Antipasti - meh

Branzino - pretty good











Swanky place. Okay overall. Not dying to go back.

And then dessert at Pastiche!

Lemon custard tart with blackberry sauce











Weekends in Vy's world mean brunch, apparently. Today's was at Outlook Kitchen + Bar at Seaport:

Lobster Benedict

Green eggs no ham - really good. Great flavors without feeling fatty or overwhelmingly greasy.










Dessert at Ice Age in Chinatown:

Strawbanana and Matchas N Cream











And dinner at Blue Asia:

 Tai's usual

Fried chicken cutlet with apple curry on rice











Yum.

Vy Eats in DC

My first visit to our nation's capital since 8th grade. Yes, it's been that long. It was only 1.5 days, but I had a great time and hope to be back soon to see more.

Saturday morning (after a slight metro hiccup), we had brunch at Masa 14. They have bottomless brunch for $39/person or just all you can eat for $25/person. We opted for the latter.

 Still got my drank on with a Masa mimosa

Potatoes - I was quite hungry but these were really good

Chilaquiles - eh beans

Baos - that needed more filling

Watermelon poke - not my thing. Not bad, but I just like my watermelon as is.

Kimchi Benedict (I think) - these were actually quite good, but I felt a bit bao'd out.

Skillet cornbread - okay

Hijiki salad - pretty good

Cauliflower - really good

Shrimp and grits - way too full at this point

Churro balls

Fried plantains











Our server/bartender was great. The vibe was slightly too drunky (almost club-like with people doing shots), but eh, to each his own.

Then the touristy stuff started:

Dinner was at Rasika, where we could not understand the waiter, but the food was phenomenal.

Cauliflower - yum

Halibut Kerala curry - soooo good. The fish was cooked perfectly, the sauce was a tad spicy with coconut flavors (also perfect for naan dipping).









The following day, we had brunch at Founding Farmers. The food was okay, but the staff is so friggin pretentious. After brunch, we walked around Georgetown and saw the original Georgetown Cupcake.

And then it was time to go home :(